Protecting Our Students and Community from Coronavirus

Schools Closed For the Remainder of the 2019-2020 School Year

Gov. Tony Evers ordered the closure of all K-12 Wisconsin schools, public and private, starting Wednesday, March 18 at 5:00pm and updated that order on Thursday, April 16 to extend through the end of the 2019-2020 school year as part of the state's efforts to respond to and contain COVID-19. The announcement affects almost 855,000 students in more than 400 districts across the state.

The health and safety of our students and staff are always our number one priority. We know that keeping children at home may cause difficulties for your children and families as you juggle work, child care and other challenges, and our staff are committed to continue doing everything we can to help make this as positive an experience as possible for your children.

The School District of Rhinelander will be continuing Virtual Learning Time to allow for a continuation of learning for all students through May 29th. Food distribution will continue to be offered as well.

School Meals Started Monday, March 23

The School District of Rhinelander is offering meals to students to help ease the burden during these difficult times. Free breakfast and lunches will be available for any child in your household that is 18 and under. The meal will follow USDA guidelines for school meals, and will include fruit, vegetables and milk along with a sandwich or breakfast item. Ingredients will be packaged separately to maintain quality and freshness, with the intent that they may be consumed the day of, or the following day if they are stored under refrigeration.

To maintain social distancing and make this service as convenient as possible, we will have drive through pick up using the driveway in the front entrance of Rhinelander High School in the morning and afternoon on the days offered. Families can choose the time that best meets their needs. The pick-up dates and times are as follows for the duration of the school closure:

Monday 7-9am 3-5pm

Thursday 7-9am 3-5pm

We will utilize the driveway in the front of Rhinelander High School and have a representative there to distribute the meals as you pull through. Please remain in your car. There is no preordering necessary.

Three days of meals are given on the Monday pickups and two days of meals are given on the Thursday pickups.

If your family has participated in the food backpack program, extra supplies will be available at Rhinelander High School each Thursday while school is closed.

Food Distribution Frequently Asked Questions (Updated 3/23/2020)

Q: How many meals can I get each day (for each child)? You can get a breakfast and lunch for each day for each child. That means each child can get up to 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches total for the week. (Three days of breakfast/lunch on Monday and two days of breakfast/lunch on Thursday.)

Q: Do my children have to be present with me? No. When you arrive at Rhinelander High School someone will approach your car and simply ask for the number of children you are picking up meals for.

Q: Can I pick up meals for children who are not my own? Yes! Again, you will simply be asked the number of children you are picking up food for.

Q: What if I don't have a vehicle? Are you doing any type of delivery? At this time we are not. Please contact your school secretary or principal if this is a concern.

Q: My children attend a different school district, but I live in Rhinelander and my children live with me part time...Am I allowed to pick up meals for them? Yes. Meals are available for children under 18 if they live in the Rhinelander area regardless of whether they attend the School District of Rhinelander or not.

Digital Learning

The district will work to ensure virtual learning continues for students. Teachers will be planning virtual learning time activities Monday, March 23 to Wednesday, March 25. There will be no virtual learning for students on those days. Virtual learning time for students will begin on Thursday, March 26. Additional details regarding virtual learning time should have been shared by your students' teachers. Paper based materials will be available if families do not have a device or sufficient internet access. Please reach out directly to your school to schedule a time if you still need to pick up materials or need a Chromebook.

Home WiFi options

Some internet carriers are offering free and/or low cost options that your family may be able to use.

Spectrum is offering free broadband internet and WiFi access for 60 days to families with K-12 and college students. Charter, which operates Spectrum internet, said they will also waive installation fees for new households. Learn more about the Spectrum offer here or call 844-488-8395.

Special Education

For students with Special Education needs, a letter has been mailed out which provides more detailed information regarding special education services due to the statewide school shutdown.

When School Resumes

The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. When school resumes, please watch for the following symptoms. Keep students home from school and contact their physician to ask to be tested for Coronavirus if they have these symptoms:

We have no known cases of COVID-19 among students or staff in the School District of Rhinelander.

We continue to closely monitor the situation with our School Nurses and Oneida County Health Departments, as well as review updates from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Department of Public Instruction and the CDC. Here is the latest information on confirmed cases in Wisconsin - in Dane, Fond Du Lac, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Pierce, Racine, Sheboygan, Waukesha, Winnebago and Wood counties. Another 37 WI residents returned March 16 from a cruise where they may have been exposed and will be self-quarantined for 14 days.

What You Can Do and Our Cleaning Measures

The School District of Rhinelander has a routine cleaning regimen in place to help reduce the spread of germs and communicable disease. In addition to our regular cleaning and disinfection, we are increasing the cleaning of high-touch areas and hard and soft surface items throughout the day. We will follow allguidelines of the CDC and our local and state health departments.

Wash your hands regularly, for 20 seconds, using soap and hot water. Make sure to wash your fingertips. This is especially important after using the restroom, coughing or sneezing into your hands, and before preparing or consuming food.

Avoid coughing or sneezing into your hands or in the air. Always try to cough or sneeze into a tissue, and then throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough/sneeze into your arm.

As much as you can, avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose.

If children are feeling sick, please keep them home from school. Families should have a plan in place for keeping your child home, picking up your child if they are sent home sick, and if schools are closed.

Travel Restrictions

This is a rapidly evolving situation, with the World Health Organization declaring Coronavirus a pandemic, the President and Governor declaring it a public health emergency and the President issuing a month-long ban effective March 13 on all travel from Europe, including the UK and Ireland, to the U.S.

The state of Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is asking schools and organizations to:

We appreciate your patience with this fluid situation and we will continue to update you as needed. Please rest assured that we will continue to put your students’ safety first. If you have any questions, reach out to your school principal or immediate supervisor.